Saturday, August 31, 2013

Do you have photos that highlight the biodiversity of our planet - from forests, grasslands and deserts to lakes, rivers and oceans, and all the creatures that live there? Well, I know there are many amazing photographers out there so why not submit your photos today!

The deadline for submissions is Monday, September 9th, 2013 at 11:59 a.m. PDT and open to anyone over 18. Photographers will retain all rights to and ownership of their images, which may originate in any format but must be submitted electronically using our photo submission website. Finalists will be announced in November 2013 and the public will have at least two weeks to vote on the Grand Prize Winner and Runners Up to be announced in January 2014. The Grand Prize Winner’s image will be featured on the cover of the 2015 Nature Conservancy Calendar, while other finalists’ images will be featured within.

So why wait? maybe somebody can take a photo of Bob the Buaya (crocodile la!) and win a prize while putting Singapore on the map :)

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Since I last blogged in 2012, many things have happened. I changed job for one. But surely, the proudest (and most cathartic) moment was when I finally submitted my Master dissertation, got relatively good comments from the examiners, passed with minor amendments and GRADUATED!

You can read my magnum opus on NUS' scholarbank as well. (Remember your citations!) I am also open to any collaborations and publications on food related issues in Singapore-Malaysia, on sustainable agriculture, consumption and food policies. Drop me an email.

Synopsis of the thesis after the jump.Tan P T (2012) "From Hinterland to Ecological Footprint: The Singapore-Cameron Highlands' Vegetable Trade" Dissertation, National University of Singapore.

Metropolitan areas have a growing ecological footprint while urban consumption and environmental degradation are quoted as some of the most pressing global issues today. Singapore, as a resource-scarce city-state that imports 98 per cent of its vegetable consumption is a perfect case study in studying ecological footprint. The city-state imported 28,872 tonnes of tomatoes (94%), 22,756 tonnes (95%) of cucumbers and 3,424 tonnes of lettuce (81%) from Cameron Highlands, Malaysia in 2010. Cameron Highlands is a major vegetable cultivation area in Malaysia, producing 40 per cent of total vegetable production in Malaysia. The colonial hill station, situated 1,070 to 1,830m above sea level, has a climate suited for cultivating temperate vegetables and has been supplying vegetables to Malaysia and Singapore since 1933. However, when Singapore gained independence from Malaysia in 1965, it was also separated from this traditional hinterland.

Through historical analysis and interviews with producers and actors along the commodity chain, this study finds that Singapore's consumption and ecological footprint impacts the landscape on its transnational hinterlands in Cameron Highlands through 1) pesticides regulations, 2) fuelling farm expansions and 3) levelling hills for creating platform terraces to maximise yield and accommodate high-tech farms for luxury crops for export. Singapore's regulations had helped to raise the production standards, both in quality and food safety, in Malaysia. However, the city-state faces the dilemma of safeguarding food security by diversifying food sources and diluting its ecological footprint while diminishing its ability to influence production practices in Cameron Highlands. Instead, the State is no longer the most important actor in governing environmental externalities and must now rely on forms of private governance.

Saturday, August 17, 2013

I started this blog as an undergraduate with ample free time on my hand. I continued with my involvement in the community in my postgraduate career, possibly as a displacement activity, procrastinating my thesis. Over the years, it becomes apparent that once one graduates into society, becomes a working adult, married with children (or not), one disappears from volunteering activities. While I must say that I am guilty of this, I have also found over the years how there are incredible people who find time for everything, as well as tips on balancing both.

Tip 1: Choosing Annual Activities
As an undergraduate, when I first heard of "adult" volunteers who only appears once a year to volunteer at annual events, I foolishly scoffed internally at their lack of commitment. In my then-life, free of responsibilities, fanatically volunteering for EVERY EVENT, this merely signifies a lack of commitment.

Now, as a lazy gainfully employed member of society who is often brain dead and physically exhausted at the end of a work day, perhaps married with 2 sets of family commitments to the neck on weekends, you may find it difficult to commit to monthly activities. As a result, I see myself looking up to the once-a-year volunteer. It becomes my personal dedication to make sure that I pledge myself to one annual activity, and participate every year!

This is when I decided to be involved in a longitudinal jungle fowl and straw headed bulbul survey with NParks on Pulau Ubin and have been consistently participating for the past few years now. For 3 to 4 consecutive weekends in the month of Sep-Oct every year, I make a 2 hour trip to Pulau Ubin to stand for 10-20 minutes in the forest, getting bitten by mozzies and listening for bird calls. Alas, those are the definitive two bird call this non-birder can now identify with confidence. It may sound very little but your little contribution will amount to a mountain after 10, 20 years. After all, the international coastal clean up in Singapore is now into its 22nd year and it started as an annual event!
So find your one annual event and give yourself a pat on the back at the 5, or 10 year anniversary milestone. (This reminds me I better go sign up for my 5th survey this year!)

Tip 2: Involve the Family
Of course, surely, you don't want to just do one activity a year right? So how do you get the time to get involved in the community while spending time with family as well? Well, get family involved!
My parents have always been supportive and know about my volunteering work but I had never actually involved them or invited them to my public events, walks or volunteering activities before. Perhaps they were busy before or language poses a difficulty, but now that my mom is retired with ample time on her hands, chance fell on my lap when Ria was looking for volunteers to help sew mascots for the Festival of Biodiversity this year. What better person to sew than my mom who proudly shares that her hobby is sewing!

It was a success! My mom was hooked and came back for several sessions, lamenting when she couldn't join in. Not only that, she also made a rather anatomically correct squid, from her years of experience cooking them! The squid mascots were also quite popular and made its round amongst the volunteers. She even came down to the Festival and despite the language difficulties, enjoyed herself tremendously. We got in plentiful family bonding time and connected at a new level.

There will always be opportunities you can involve your family in various aspects of nature education, appreciation and awareness so why not find one to spend time together, being involved!

But of course, surely, you must visit Ria's WildSingapore for one stop information about everything wild and nature-y in Singapore.

Sometimes it is about taking that information and seeing what we can do about things as part of our work, our daily behaviour, consumer patterns, and as a citizen! Even NEA is calling all of us, every resident in Singapore, as the army for fighting dengue. Because we're all an extra pair of eyes, an extra pair of hands that can chip in to act or to sound the alarm.

Tip 4: Spread the Word
I don't know about you but typical gadget-reliant Homo sapien that I am, my daily morning ritual includes reading facebook and twitter for news the minute I open my eyes. It doesn't stop at reading. Interesting and meaningful news deserves a share / retweet, such as this. Not only do you need to share to spread the word, even when you like a post or article on facebook, chances are some friends of yours will get to see the article on their news feed. Even if my facebook is private, I know I am reaching out to the 1000 people in my circle. How about you?

If you are a brave soul, why not take on the folks on STOMP and correct the misidentification of animals or share some positive ways to interact with the urban wildlife around us. And going even further, why not start creating your own content. Yes, I mean blog! To be honest, with the way social media has evolved, it has encouraged laziness, desire for convenience, short notes. But how much can you convey in 140chars and lost very soon in the rapid crossfire of Bieber news and other more exciting tabloid. At the end of the day, the internet and the power of google lies in the hands of users like us, who documents, creates and share information. So websites, blogs, and different form of content creation platforms will still be needed.

It is not easy, it takes lots of perseverance but you won't regret it. Just yesterday, the Butterfly Circle blog celebrated its 6 years anniversary! Khew accounted how his reluctance to blog in the beginning but just look at what a wonderful resource it is for butterflies in the region now! To give due credit, this blog post in itself is much thanks to him for sending me a reminder that the last time I blogged was one year ago!

If you, like me, have problems deciding what to blog due to fear of conflict with work, well, I have been told that the trick is to first find out your company's blogging policy (I havent! gulp), blog about something you are passionate about that does not mention your work (like butterflies) or just focus on positive things (no complaining?). To be honest I am still trying to figure it out. You'll know if I succeed when I start blogging more again! But first, to overcome the convenience of 140chars.

Tip 5: Just Get out There!
At the end of the day, whether you do it alone, with a group, with other volunteers, with your family, for an event, or just a walk through the nearest park connector, JUST. GET. OUT. THERE.

Thanks to my work, I now have excuse to get to know the nature areas in the North more keenly. There has also been a lot of new parks like the Bishan Park that is really far from me but worth checking it out just because it is, really, somewhat amazing! Sometimes it's just driving around getting into out of place areas. Or taking a walk to the nearest lake to get some peace and recharge after a week's worth of chaos and fatigue. Try it. Bring a loved one.

Do you have any other tricks of the trade? Tips to balance the busy work life with getting out there? How do you guys do it?! Yes you, you, I'm talking about you! I want to know. Leave a comment.

Greetings!

Welcome to the Midnight Monkey Monitor.

This weblog was created in 2003 and named as such due to my penchant for alliteration, a midnight predecessor and my moniker as the leafmonkey, or monkey to most. MMM chronicles my thoughts and reflections on subjects and news related to environmental issues as well as issues of cultural and natural heritage. Read more in About Me.

Since November 2007, most of the writings on this blog has been dedicated to the syndication of Daily Green Actions from my Leafmonkey Twitter account. However, as of 2008, I shall resolve to resume more original writings. Find out more about my projects.